Today is the International Day of Democracy: it’s time for Canada to step up

Democracy is on the ropes. While Canada has unparalleled potential to be a global leader in protecting and advancing democratic values and practices, the opportunity will be squandered if we don’t change course and take bolder action now. Annual reports on the state of global democracy from Freedom House, International IDEA, and The Economist Intelligence are clear. There has been a consistent and continued erosion of democratic norms and institutions, with leaders and political parties undermining the rule of law, independent judiciary, and freedom of the press. And it’s getting worse. Militaries have staged coups, and leaders have centralized power, restricted political and civil liberties, and subverted the independence of electoral processes. The rise of disinformation and political polarization are undermining democratic discourse and eroding trust in democracy, creating opportunities for populists and autocrats. Despite modest progress, women and equity-seeking groups remain outnumbered in formal political decision-making. Democratic institutions like legislatures and parties need international support to embrace inclusive approaches. Tom Cormier is president and CEO of the Parliamentary Centre. Photograph courtesy of LinkedIn Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly has stated that Canada should be a global leader in promoting these values and has characterized Ukraine’s response to Russia’s brutal aggression as “an existential war for all democracies.” Since the introduction of the Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP), no less than 95 per cent of Canada’s bilateral international development assistance initiatives target or integrate gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. The Parliamentary Centre will be honouring former prime minister, Joe Clark, with our annual “Because Democracy Matters” award in recognition of his significant contributions to advancing democracy on the global stage over many years. He ensured that human rights and our values as Canadians were always at the heart of foreign policy. Among his many accomplishments, he tirelessly advocated for increased Western pressure on South Africa to end apartheid, and he ensured that Canada was a key early supporter of recognizing Ukraine as an independent nation. In his book, How We Lead: Canada in a Century of Change, Clark argues that Canada's diverse society is one of our most important resources to advance shared values of democracy and human rights. Indeed, Canada is a place where a refugee became the minister for refugees after all. Though politics often seems more divided than ever, Joly and Clark demonstrate the multi-party consensus that has long existed in Canada, that supporting democratic development is precisely what Canada should be doing. In successive all-party consensus reports, the Parliament of Canada has called on the government to put democratic development at the centre of foreign policy, create a democracy support strategy and invest more in support for democratic development. In 2019, a comprehensive report from Parliament gave 15 recommendations and a blueprint to the government to ramp up support for democratic development. In Minister Joly’s 2021 mandate letter, the prime minister asked her to “...increase Canadian expertise and assistance to those seeking to build peace, advance justice, promote human rights, inclusion and democracy, and deliver good governance." The direction could not have been more clear. Canadians want this, too. In May 2022, in the wake of Russia’s illegal aggression against Ukraine, an Abacus Data national survey indicated that 52 per cent of Canadians want efforts to defend democracy worldwide. When defining their source of pride in our foreign policy, respondents said promoting democracy and human rights worldwide was the top choice, and alliances with other democracies was a close second. Unfortunately, Canada has some catching up to do. Few of the 15 recommendations from the 2019 report from Parliament have been advanced. Parliament needs to insist on tangible progress, and it must lead by example. In 2020-21, Canadian funding for democratic development as a percentage of Official Development Assistance (ODA) was stuck at only 1.92 per cent. Of that meagre amount, only 2.84 per cent went to support to “strengthen legislatures and political parties,” making it the lowest priority at Global Affairs Canada. At the Summit for Democracies in Washington in March, Prime Minister Trudeau announced 20 new initiatives for Canada to support democracy; only three (or eight per cent) were Canadian organizations. It is not too late. Canada has a blueprint for democracy support from Parliament, a multi-party consensus to deliver it, an ability to shift existing ODA resources to increase the percentage of assistance dedicated to democratic development initiatives and a number of Canadian-based organizations ready, willing and able to deliver on this. Happy International Day of Democracy! Tom Cormier is president and CEO of the Parliamentary Centre. The Parliamentary Centre is hosting 'Do It For Democracy' on Sept. 26th, an annual fundraising event in partnership with the U.K. High Commission, to underscore how democracy is essential for prosperity and peace—and why Canada must do more to support it. The event is expected to attract 150 senior representatives of Parliament, government, civil society, business, and the diplomatic community. The Hill Times